Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1)   The funding allocated to the Seasonal Worker Program will be spent on administering the program, technical and capacity building assistance for countries participating in the Seasonal Worker Program, and financial literacy training and other training to support seasonal workers' effective participation in the Program. Funding of $21.7 million has been allocated, which is offset from relevant departments and agencies as well as from Official Development Assistance funds.

(2)   The Seasonal Worker Program differs from the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme in the following ways:

(3)   (a) East Timor, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu have been invited to participate in the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme. (b)East Timor, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu have been invited to participate in the Seasonal Worker Program.

(4)   MOU for the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme between the Australian Government and the governments of East Timor, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu have been signed. The text of these MOU is available at:

http://www.deewr.gov.au/Employment/Programs/PSWPS/Pages/Contacts.aspx

(5)   Discussions with the governments of Nauru and Tuvalu commenced following the

Prime Minister's announcement of the expansion of the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme in September 2011. The Australian Government and the government of Tuvalu signed an MOU for the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme in early March 2012. As of 16 March 2012, discussions with the government of Nauru for the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme are continuing.

(6)   An evaluation report on the development impacts of the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme has been completed. The report is available at: http://ideas.repec.org/p/wai/econwp/11-09.html. An evaluation report on the domestic impacts of the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme is nearing completion.

(7)   The trial with accommodation, aquaculture, cane and cotton growers will be implemented in selected regions, determined in consultation with key stakeholders. The industries were selected for the trial element of the Seasonal Worker Program given a range of factors, including seasonality, labour force information, expressions of interest from industry, and linkages with economic activity in participating countries.

(8)   The selection criteria can be found in the Request for Expression of Interest Form at: http://www.deewr.gov.au/Employment/Programs/PSWPS/Pages/ApprovedEmployers.aspx.

(9)   As of Friday 16 March 2012, the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations has received applications from 61 separate entities seeking to become an Approved Employer. Of these applications: